ReGen Monterey (Monterey Regional Waste Management District)

Last week I removed three rotted fence posts that were set in concrete as well as approximately half the wood that were held up by these three fence posts. It all fit in the back of my car with the rear seats folded down. I also disposed on a patio heat lamp that got rusted in the rain by not properly being covered. So while I had three classes of items—concrete, wood, and essentially sheet metal from the patio heater— it wasn’t much stuff because it fit in the back of my mid size car. There was no hazardous waste. However, ReGen treated me like I was hauling away a trainload of radiated debris from Three Mile Island. First, I had to wait in line with the trash trucks and landscapers with pickup trucks with trailers. Fine. I’m okay with waiting my turn but the ReGen folks has each vehicle wait for the scale to clear, drive up, get out of the vehicle, and wait in another line while the cashiers evaluate the weight results and ask about your debris. Each vehicle took five minutes to process. When it was finally my turn,I was asked if I had pressure treated lumber. Heck, how would I know? I’m just an average homeowner not a forensic expert on lumber. I got thus charged an extra $50 for having pressure treated hardware. I was confused about where I would dump the three different debris types I had but was reassured that the guy at the dumping station would advise me. When I got there, opened my trunk, I was directed to just dump everything together—concrete, metal, and lumber. I therefore got the impression that ReGen was not going to make any attempt to separate the surcharged lumber from the concrete or sheet metal. I threw everything out the back, and then drove over to the line to exit, waiting about twenty minutes in line with the other vehicles so we could get re-weighed which was the same process of double line-waiting as I went throw on the entry. What a cumbersome screwed up and expensive process that is just a money shakedown! I have been to other dumps in other California counties and getting rid of waste is not anywhere near as time consuming, needlessly complicated, and expensive as ReGen. They certainly penalize little guys like homeowners who are trying to do the right thing and play by the rules while at the same time giving the less unscrupulous plenty if incentive to cheat the system. The whole system at ReGen needs to be audited, re-thought, and re-designed.

Regen Monterey is an interesting place to visit if you're looking for something unique. They have an eclectic collection ranging from clothes, toys, housewares, bikes, building materials (windows, doors, tiles, sinks) and furniture. Give yourself about 30 minutes to walk through everything. Remember to look on the lower shelves because there's lots of interesting stuff. It's a good place for a field trip. Enjoy!.

Awesome customer service, everyone is super friendly and you'll get the best deal here. I do think the signs need to be simplified/upgraded. It would be easier if the ground was painted with color coded arrows directing customers which way to go for what service they needed. I often see customers that have tickets for the mrf come up to the face and wait in line thinking they're in the right place only to be sent back down the ramp. Also to correct a previous review that complained about the amount of money they recieved for their recyclables; this place pays the most for recycling in the Monterey, Seaside and Marina area.